On January 19, 2024, Ashford, Inc. filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of California after discovering that an unauthorized actor was able to access and acquire information stored on the company’s IT network. In this notice, Ashford explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information. Upon completing its investigation, Ashford began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from Ashford, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Ashford data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Ashford Data Breach?

The Ashford data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Ashford’s filing with the Attorney General of California provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on September 20, 2023, Ashford detected suspicious activity within its computer network. In response, Ashford secured its systems, notified law enforcement, and then began working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Ashford reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. Ashford completed this process on November 8, 2023.

On January 19, 2024, Ashford sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised. Ashford is providing victims of the breach with 24 months of free credit monitoring services through IDX.

More Information About Ashford, Inc.

Ashford, Inc. is an alternative asset management company based out of Dallas, Texas. Ashford maintains a portfolio of businesses that provide global asset management, investment management and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors. Ashford also serves as the advisor to two real estate investment trusts, Ashford Hospitality Trust (“AHT”) and Braemar Hotels & Resorts (“BHR”). The company also operates a Hospitality Products and Services initiative that invests in companies that service the industry. Ashford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “AINC.” Ashford employs more than 5,536 people and generates approximately $936 million in annual revenue. Investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party accessed its computer network on September 7, 2023. Ashford was also able to determine that the unauthorized party removed certain files containing confidential consumer data during the attack.